Workload Survey Results

Here are the results of the survey I posted regarding workload. Thank you
to all who responded to my questions.
First is a list of the questions I asked in the survey, followed by a
summary of the individual responses I received. If you'd like it in a more
"readable" format, I'll be happy to send one to you as an attachment file.
I hope you find the results as interesting as I did - it was great to see
how other labs handle their workload and get some ideas for our lab.
Thanks again,
Louri Caldwell
St. Maryis Hospital
Athens, Georgia
The questions asked are as follows:
1. How many pathologists do you have?
2. How many technicians do you have?
3. How many surgical cases do you do in a year?
4. How many cytology (non-gyn) do yo do a year?
5. How many frozen sections do you do in an average day?
6. How many special stains and immunos do you do?
7. What are the hours your technicians work?
8. What are the time requirements for work to be completed?
9. How is your workload divided among the technicians/pathologists?
10. Do you work in a medical/veterinary, diagnostic/research setting?
The responses I received follow:
1. 2
2. 1 and .4 aide
3. 4200
4. NA
5. 10 a month
6. sp 40 a month, no immunos
7. 8 a day
8. first tray at 8:30
9. techall slides, emebbeding, setting up for gross, FS cutting and
staining,Special stains, billing, coding, etc. Path - grossing and micros
10. surgical
1. 5 pathologists and 1 resident
2. 3
3. 3500, we also do 40 autopsies
4. 100
5. 1-2
6. 175 a month combined
7. 6:30 - 3:00, 7:00-3:30 and 8:30 -5:00
8. routine slides out by 10 am, specials/immuno's are done the same day as
requested as long as time> permits, otherwise out the next day
9. 2 techs do most of the bench work, 1 supervisor filling in as needed
10. Ours is a teaching hospital...thus, the reason for so many
pathologists....they also each have their own research projects, which we
also do the technical work for.
1. 4, only an average of 3 per day read surgicals
2. 5, 1 P.A., 1 supervisor/P.A./histotech
3. 20,000
4. 300
5. 3 cases/10 slides
6. 125 special stains/175immunos per month
7. staggered 4:00am to 4:00pm
8. H&E's topathologists by 11:00 am, biopsies to paths by 9:30 am Special
stains ordered by 11:00 out same day Deepers ordered by 12:00 out same day
Immunos are next day
9. Techs do allgross, histology and prepare frozens for micro Pathologists
read surgicals and cover Sunday gross(minimal)
10. Medicalwith large rural referal base (4 states)
1. 3 FT and 4 PT
2. 1 manager, 6 HTs (2 PT) and 1 #189# lab assistants
3. 10,834 in 99
4. 2,458 Thin Prep Non-gyns
5. Avg 163 / mo in 99
6. Avg 560 special stains and 730 immunos slides per month of 99
7. 2 @ 5:30 - 2:001 @ 6:30 - 3:001 @ 6:45 - 3:151 @ 7:30 - 1:001 @ 11:00am -
7:30 pm or 12:00 - 8:30 pm 1 @ 11:00 am - 6:00 pm Tues - Friday.
8. Pathologists expect to have some slides by 8 am. Then as fast as we can
get them!
9. The technicians rotate duties such as embedding, gross room till
afternoon gross tech arrives, changing processors, special stains, immunos,
etc. All techs present cut as fast as possible to serve pathologists
depending on what time they arrive. We have a pathologist assigned to
in-house cases and then one assigned to "Clinical" which are GI biopsies,
etc. and OP cases.
10. Hospital setting.
1. 11 and 12 residents>
2. 8
3. 27,500
4. 5
5. 3-6
6. 10-30 specials a day and> 150 immunos a day, immunos are done in a
separate dept. by 4 techs with no> automation
7. we are staffed from 4am till 8pm
8. Biopsy and rush cases are done by 8 and we are trying to have everything
completed by noon. Specials ordered by 10 are done same day.
9. Not surewhat you asking for?
10. University Medical Center
1. 4 Pathologists and 1 Pathologist Assistant in a 750 bedhospital.
2. 1 Supervisor , 4 full-time histotechnologists 1 part-time
histotechnologist 1 full-time histotechnician 1 full-time Medical Lab
Assistant 1 full-time transcriptionist (Pathology Office) 2 part-time
transcriptionists (Pathology Office) 1 full-time Clerk (Pathology Office) 2
part-time Clerks (Pathology Office)
3. 17,500 surgical cases in 1999
4. 1650 non-gyn cytology cases in 1999 (the cytology is done by an outside
lab operated by my pathologists)
5. Pathologists cut their own frozen sections approx. 5-10 per day
6. We special stain approx. 15-20 slides per day We immuno stain approx.
30-60 slides per day
7. Histology Hours: 1 Technologist comes at 12 midnight - 8:30 am M-F 1 "
5:00 am - 1:30 pm M-F 2 " 6:30 am - 3:00 pm M-F 1 " 6:30 am - 3:00 pm M-W-F
1 Technician 8:30 am - 5:00 pm M-F 1 Assistant 6:00 am - 2:30 pm M-F
8. Turn-Around Time 24 hours
9. The Patholgist Assistant does all the Grossing 1 Pathologist is
responsible for Frozen sections on a daily rotation day 1 Pathologist signs
out the Inpatient Surgicals the next day after doing FS 1 Pathologist signs
out the Outpatient Surgicals on a daily rotation 1 Pathologist signs out the
Cytology and works with the Clinical Lab on a weekly rotation.
10. Medical
1. 6 pathologists
2. 4 HT's and 1 lab assistant that runs the grossing area. A .6 FTE of the 4
HT's is administrative.
3. In 1999, we did 18,000cases, we expect to have 20,000 this year.
4. 1400
5. 0-20
6. 1844 specialstains 2664 slides of immuno - not including negative
controls
7. Rotating shifts beginning at 5, 6, 7 and 8.
8. Anything received before 4:00 is processed overnight, stained and handed
out the next day. We essentially have a 24-36 hour turnaround. At the
pathologists discretion, a case can be held for fixation.
9. Everyone does everything, and rotates through all areas. This includes
the pathologists - they rotate through anatomic pathology and clinical lab.
10. Regional medical center.
1. 3 pathologists (a fourth is starting in July)
2. 4 histotechs, a gross room assistant (assists in gross room daily) and a
pathologist assistant. A 5th histotech will start in July
3. 12500 surgicals last year with an increase of 20% expected this year
4. 6500 non gyn specimens. (cytology staff is responsible forall of the non
gyn work.)
5. We had 400 + frozens/year
6. 2200 immunos and special stains in a year
7. Histology employees are staffed 5 am to 5:30 pm M-F (their individual
hours are fixed 8 hour schedules). Embedder is first one in and gross room
assistant islast one out.
8. Slides are "batched" by type of specimen, first ones have to be
topathologists by 9am and second batch by 10:30am. Specials are performed
latemorning and early afternoon without a specific deadline
9. 4 techs rotate specials/immunos/gross room (equiptmaintenance)/ float on
a weekly basis. The gross room assistant does frozens, accessioning, and is
responsible for storing and disposing of specimens and grosses in PA's
absence. The PA does all grossing and autopsies (30 a yr).The pathologists
diagnosis slides and provide support as needed/required. Grossing should be
completed by 5pm (cut off time of 4:15 to receivespecimens
10. Over see 3 small hospitals (50 to 220 bed). All pathology work is
performed at one laboratory
1. 25
2. 403
3. 120,500
4. have no clue
5. 2 or 36.
6. +/- 125 specials and +/- 83 immunos on the menu
7. 5 am - 1:30 pm, 9am - 5:30 pm, 3 pm - 11:30 pm
8. just get it done before the doctors bite our heads off!!
9. GI, prostate, bone marrows, derms; teams are divided to do each group
10. reference diagnostic
1. 1
2. 1 + vacation, workload, etc relief
3. 4400
4. 100 (includes making the smears)
5. 0 (20 year)
6. no immunos, 3 special stains
7. Mon- Fri 0700-1500
8. I don't know what this means.
9. N/A
10. Hospital
1. 7
2. 5 including myself (supervisor)
3. 18,000
4. 4000
5. 6-8
6. 350 SS/IMM per month
7. AM -4:30 PM
8. Slides should be out by 11:30 AM (90% of the time they are)
9. No division among the techs. Early morning techs embed and cut more, the
afternoon techs do more recuts/specials/immuno's etc. The pathologist have a
very different schedule (one I have never seen before). There is one on
Frozens all day. The rest go in a rotation (depending on the day) they get
anywhere from 10 -12 specimens to gross. They will then read those cases
that they grossed the next day.) They also have a rotation for FNA's in
laband in radiology, outside cases (they have there own service). etc. Its
very unique here, and makes it difficult in the AM, because the cases have
to be sorted out by doctor. (sometimes that is what takes so much time). It
canget confusing for new tech/aides. (I have 3 aides). Some of the work will
be distributed to the wrong doctor, causing havoc)
10. Community Hospital
1. 6 pathologists
2. I have 4 full time techs, 3 partime techs
3. 1200 surgicals/mthwe do 600 skins /mth
6. 250 IHC/mth we run 120 special stains/mth
7. tech times are as follows 6-2:30 7-3:30 7:30-4 8-5 8-1 4pm-9pm
8. Turnaround time on average is 24 hrs. Cutting of re-cuts stops at 3pm
1. 2
2. 3 licensed, 3 currently in training, 1 aide
3. 30,000 - mostly derms
4. less than 100
5. 3 or 4
6. routinely do PAS, Iron, 0Alcian Blue, AFB and GMS, plus 10 - 15 immunos
per day
7. 1 in at 11 pm, 1 at 2 am, 1 at 3 am, 2 on immunostaining at 8 and 10 am,
2 gross people at 11 am
8. routine slides by 7am
9. certain physicians request dermatopathologist, the rest go to the other
pathologist
10. Outpatient diagnostic
1. Four
2. HISTO Four Basic Grades, Two Seniors, Three Trainees, Two lab aids
CYTO Two screeners, One Trainee, Two lab aides, One Basic Grade, One
senior, Two Chiefs (20,000 gynae cases per year too)
3. 13,000 (36,000 blocks)
4. 3,000 (approx 10,000 slides)
5. One per week
6. Five specials(up to 20 slides) 40 slides per day for Immuno (manual)
7. One tech 07:30-15:30, the rest 08:30-17:00
8. Routine Histo - all out by 13:00
Specials out by 14:00 (same day requesting)
Immuno out by 15:00 (start at 10:30)
N-Gynae out by 09:30 next day at latest, same day if possible
9. Paths do any spec which requires a cut at grossing, techs do biopsies
10. Routine District General Hospital
1. 3
2. 3 full-time & 1 part-time
3. 10,000
4. 800
5. 2 per day
6. 3 specials routinely (~20 on menu), 4 immunos/day (12-15 slides/day
manual - 14 on menu)
7. one tech 7:00-3:30, one 7:00-4:30 on 4 days & 7:00-12:00 one day, one
9:00 n 5:30
8. first tray out by 9:30, all H&E out by 12:00
immunos requested by 12:00, specials & recuts requested by 2:00 completed
same day
9. Techs rotate all duties - except one tech primarily responsible for
immunos in addition to other duties
Pathologists rotate grossing, with every third day a light day n
dermatopathologist reads derm slides every day.
10. Hospital
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